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A majority supports plans for a casino, poll shows
By SHARON LINSTEDT
News Staff Reporter
The planned Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in the Cobblestone District has the support of a majority of Buffalo residents, and city dwellers have a favorable opinion of the Seneca Nation of Indians, according to a just-released survey.
The survey, conducted by Zogby International and commissioned by the Seneca Nation, found 58 percent of respondents said they support a casino, with 37 percent indicating they oppose downtown gambling.
The telephone survey of 903 likely voters, conducted June 22-23, also found 55 percent of city residents have a positive view of the nation, with just 16 percent indicating they have an unfavorable opinion of the Senecas.
Seneca Nation President Barry Snyder Sr. could not be reached to comment on the poll, but a spokesman for Seneca Gaming Corp. said the survey confirms his impressions of community support for the $125 million casino project and the Senecas.
"It reflects what we saw on June 22 when we held the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino employment preview and attracted more than 900 people," said Phil Pantano, corporation spokesman.
"The people of Buffalo are excited about the project, excited about the economic benefits it will bring and excited about the possibility of 1,000 good-paying jobs coming to the city," Pantano added.
Residents of the city's Fillmore District showed the strongest support, with 74 percent saying they back the planned casino and 24 percent opposing it. Lovejoy District respondents also signaled strong support, with 73 percent saying they favor downtown gambling and 24 percent opposing it.
Delaware District residents were the only group surveyed where a majority opposed downtown gambling, with 54 percent against a casino, while 40 percent expressed support.
The overall findings of support among city residents for downtown gambling are similar to those of a Buffalo News survey conducted in February. In that poll, 55 percent of respondents said a casino would be good for the city, while about 45 percent called it a bad idea.
The new Zogby poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, while The News survey, conducted by Cornerstone Research & Marketing of North Tonawanda, had an error margin of 4 percentage points.
Buffalo attorney Robert J. Kresse, one of the most vocal opponents to a Buffalo casino, said the poll won't change his opinion or stop him from fighting against the growth of gambling in the city.
"It doesn't surprise me because the public has been deluged with a huge publicity campaign citing all the positive sides of gambling. Those of us who oppose casinos can't spend the kind of money the Senecas have been spending on PR," said Kresse, part of a group that has filed lawsuits opposing the casino.
"The naked truth remains that gambling is a bad way to build an economy," he added.
Overall, the idea of a downtown casino was backed by a majority of both Democratic and Republican voters in the Zogby poll, with 62 percent and 52 percent in favor, respectively. The Buffalo Creek Casino was also favored by a majority of both men and women in the poll. Nearly 63 percent of men surveyed said they support casino gambling downtown, while 53 percent of women said they back a city casino.
The poll did find opposition to downtown gaming among the city's oldest residents. More than 49 percent of people age 65 and over said they oppose a casino, compared with 45.2 percent who said they are in favor. Opposition was highest among city residents age 70 and over, with 52 percent against, while 41 percent backed a downtown casino.
When broken down by ethnic groups, Native Americans surveyed indicated the strongest support for gambling in the city, with 76 percent in favor, followed by African-Americans, with 66 percent in support. Just over 54 percent of Caucasian respondents said they favor a casino.
A majority of Hispanics polled were opposed to downtown gaming, with nearly 51 percent against a city casino.
The city's wealthiest residents indicated the least support for a downtown casino, with 53 percent of those with annual incomes of $100,000 or more saying they are in favor. However, those earning between $75,000 and $100,000 a year showed the strongest support, with 70 percent in favor.
The survey also found that Buffalo residents favor the sale of a two-block section of Fulton Street to the Seneca Nation to unify the nine-acre casino site along Michigan Avenue. The dead-end street, which runs through the middle of the property, is a roadblock to the Senecas' current casino design.
By a 2-to-1 ratio, the Zogby poll found voters back the sale, which would allow a consolidated casino design rather than a less-ambitious plan that would require an overhead, covered walkway to link the gambling facility to a parking lot across Fulton Street.
Pantano said the survey response shows local residents have paid attention to the architectural plans the nation announced in early June, a site plan that incorporates public garden space with a series of integrated buildings, including gambling venues, a 2,500-vehicle parking garage and a headquarters tower for Seneca Gaming Corp.
"The grand design that we unveiled a month ago has captured people's imaginations, and that's the vision we want to move forward with," Pantano said.
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